Solar power is a popular alternative energy source. Many photovoltaic systems including solar panels have been installed residentially and commercially over the past several years. In general, the solar panels convert light into direct current which can be stored in a battery and/or converted to alternating current for use by a consumer or delivery to an electrical grid. As with many technologies, the costs associated with solar systems have decreased over time. However, the cost of such systems, including the cost of installation remains relatively high.
In some solar systems, multiple solar panels are connected to a central inverter device which converts the direct current from the panels into alternating current. The panels are strung together in “Christmas light” fashion and the last panel is connected to the central inverter. While this approach has some benefits, the overall electrical output of the entire array may be greatly reduced by an obstruction of light (e.g., shade, debris, snow, etc.) to or malfunction of even a single panel. Consequently, many systems use microinverters mounted to each solar panel. In a microinverter system, the direct current from each panel is converted to alternating current. As such, if one panel is obstructed or defective, its performance has no effect on the other panels in the array.
One challenge to adoption of microinverter systems is cost. In some systems, many dozens of microinverters are required, and each must be installed onto a separate solar panel. The labor for attaching microinverters to solar panels constitutes a significant portion of the overall installation costs. Known microinverters require the use of at least two fasteners to secure the microinverter to the solar panel. As such, it would be desirable to provide a microinverter that reduces the time, and therefore the cost, required to secure the microinverter to a solar panel.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a microinverter, comprising a housing, a cover configured to connect to the housing, and electronics mounted within the housing to convert direct current from a solar panel to alternative current. The housing includes a first side wall, a second side wall perpendicular to the first side wall, and a mounting flange extending from the side walls. The mounting flange includes a first channel configured to receive a first rail segment of the solar panel, a second channel configured to receive a second rail segment of the solar panel, and a mounting tab disposed between the channels to receive a fastener extending through one of the rail segments. The configuration of the housing facilitates securing the housing to the solar panel with a single fastener.